[cybersnowflake]

On the priest side the celibacy requirement probably attracts a certain type. Then there is the power over others angle which isn't limited to churches. The combination of factors stack on each other.

On the institutional side its the well known and agreed upon siege mentality where the church tries to protect itself out of arrogance and a probably accurate assessment that its enemies want to use and manipulate this for political gain.

Also much less talked about is the church's former policies were partially due to a misguided sense of mercy. If the church really did come down as hard and preemptively as people now want it to from the very beginning the world would probably be whining about how intolerant and cruel they were to potential and defrocked priests.